From vision to action: Climate Pact celebrates local climate efforts

“We are dealing with man-made climate change,” announced Jan Dusík, the European Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Climate Action, as he opened the Climate Pact’s citizen-led climate action event on 8 October in Brussels. “There is a lot of work to do, and this work is for everyone.”

“All Europeans must be part of the solution, and nobody should be left behind. They need to be able to contribute to actions and understand how to overcome the challenges and associated costs, but also the benefits of moving to a carbon-free society which addresses climate challenges.”

 Jan Dusík, Deputy Director-General for Climate Action, European Commission

One of the Climate Pact’s key drivers is to get everyone involved in climate action. The European Commission is pushing hard for this across the whole EU economy and society – as President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised in her July 2024 political guidelines, aiming to keep the EU on track for a 90% emission reduction by 2040 and full decarbonisation by 2050.

Tackling climate change from the ground up

The significance of action driven by the people can’t be overstated. This gathering of the Climate Pact community, which was part of European Week of Regions and Cities, brought together over 40 Pact Ambassadors and Partners to celebrate their achievements. During a showcase session moderated by the Slovakian Pact Ambassador Daniela Piršelová, they shared their innovative projects from different corners of Europe – from covering university rooftops in solar panels to leading groups around cities on climate walks.

Martin Brocklehurst from Pact Partner Project AURORA, introduced an initiative that empowers a community of over 46,000 students, and staff at Aarhus University in Denmark to take charge in the energy transition. They have already installed solar panels on the university’s rooftop and monitor their energy performance using the Aurora energy tracker app.

“The time for talking is over, and the time for action is here. As citizens we can trailblaze to get to net zero carbon emissions in our personal lives and influence those around us where we work and study.” 

Martin Brocklehurst, European Climate Pact Partner, Project AURORA, Denmark

Lola Ott, an Ambassador from France, shared her ocean protection project, including a massive cleanup along the Rhine River with 250 students in Strasbourg. Despite not living near the sea, the group proved it was possible to protect it by removing over 700 kgs of waste and raising enough money to fund an artificial coral reef to restore marine biodiversity in Greece.

In Romania, Ambassador Ioana-Maria Petrescu has joined forces with NGOs, businesses, young people and authorities from the Hunedoara mining region to build a common, achievable vision to tackle the energy transition. Their vision led to action and highlighted the importance of involving diverse groups early on when developing climate solutions.

Ambassador Aurora Audino from Belgium recounted her experience at the 2023 G7 Summit where she took the opportunity to put citizen-led solutions in front of decision-makers to demonstrate the strong climate action that could be achieved by working together.

Bringing experiences from Spain, Pact Ambassador Carmen María Pérez Juan shared her journey of discovering how guided tours through towns and cities can play a part in local climate action. When she travelled, she would join free tours, and this sparked an idea. If tours around her city included information about climate change, tourists would go home motivated to start or continue their own climate journey.

Ambassador Joško Klisović reflected on a ‘citizens’ assembly’ he held to talk about developing climate policies with 500 residents of Zagreb, Croatia. Firmly believing that public support is needed for any new policy, Joško stressed the need to listen to locals, take their views on board and work together on climate solutions.

Bridging policy and people

Throughout the day, Pact community members got a chance to share their ideas with EU policymakers and initiative leaders. During a roundtable discussion moderated by Laura Maanavilja from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), they explored how the actions of everyone, regardless of their occupation or background, can help support the EU's climate transition. The discussion touched on three main topics: engagement with people at the local level, climate-related risks and resilience, and engaging youth.

Elina Bardram, Director at DG CLIMA, wrapped up the event with a call to action. She stressed how important it is to listen to people, address their concerns and enable conversations – not just between peers, but between those who have the most power and those who have the least. Elina urged the Pact community to keep making climate policies closer and more relatable to all Europeans and tackle the challenges head-on – building on the teamwork, inclusivity, and genuine participation demonstrated by the examples shared at the event.

If you missed the event, don't worry! You can watch the recording and check out the image gallery on the event page to see the passionate contributions of our community members.

How you can be part of the solution

Inspired to take action? Check out our tools to engage members of your community in climate action. Whether you get friends and family around the table for a sustainable potluck meal, organise a climate walk, discussion or action group, or even run a fun game at a local event, there are many ways to do your bit and be part of the solution.